After reaching Level 10 and selecting a specialization, players unlocked the talent system.
Each talent tree was fixed in structure, but Books of Light could enhance them in powerful and unpredictable ways. For example, in the Protection Paladin's tree, the first tier featured a talent called Deflection—each point invested granted a 1% increase to parry chance.
Using a Book of Light on this talent would cause a new branch to sprout from it. These enhancements were typically random, but many granted a bonus effect like: "Each successful parry deals a certain amount of damage to the attacker."
Other enhancements could include boosts to Strength, Stamina, or even self-healing effects that restored a portion of health on parry. All were possible—if you were lucky.
And luck was the key word. The drop rate for Books of Light was notoriously low. While any dungeon boss technically had a chance of dropping one, the odds were about as slim as winning the lottery.
The chances improved slightly when defeating the final boss of an expansion, but even then, players were looking at a one-in-a-thousand probability.
There was, however, another method of obtaining a Book of Light: completing certain dungeon achievements. These rewards were soulbound—non-tradable, but far more reliable.
Later in the game's life cycle, large guilds would organize what they called bounty runs—guiding players through grueling achievement challenges in exchange for gold. These runs helped players earn the elusive books while also serving as a major income stream for the guilds.
As Ryan stared at the Books of Light in his inventory, a memory surfaced.
'Ah, that's why they're in my vault.'
It had been a lucky break. In his past life, Ryan and a few friends had briefly dipped into the trading scene. They'd pooled their gold to buy up a dozen Books of Light when prices were low. Then the market crashed—hard. The value of the books plummeted. His companions gave up and quit the game entirely.
Before leaving, they handed over all their items to Ryan, asking him to sell what he could. Most of it, he managed to convert to gold and return to them. But the Books of Light? No one wanted them. In the end, they sat untouched in Ryan's bank, their value never bouncing back.
Now, seeing them again in this fresh new life, Ryan's eyes lit up.
"My lucky day!"
He grinned to himself, and turned back to the rest of the items in his bank, searching for something specific.
His eyes passed over rows of scrolls—until something caught his attention. His heart skipped a beat.
There it was. One scroll stood out like a torch in the dark.
He leaned in closer, squinting at the name:
—
Scroll of Teleportation: Astral City
Function: Transports you to Astral City. 10-second cast time.
—
Ryan froze.
Astral City.
His mind reeled. That place shouldn't even exist in the game yet.
Astral City—the neutral city from the Level 70 expansion. A sprawling metropolis, home to master artisans, rare quests, and elite gear. A city that would eventually become the central hub of the entire expansion. And somehow, he had a teleportation scroll to it… right now.
In the current version of the game, a scroll like this shouldn't just be rare—it shouldn't exist at all.
His breath caught in his throat.
If Astral City were already accessible, even just to him... the possibilities were endless. The idea forming in his head was so bold, so utterly ridiculous, that it made his chest tighten.
Hands trembling, he reached for the scroll.
He hesitated, swallowung hard. Then, with slow, deliberate movements, he began casting.
Ten seconds.
Ten seconds to find out whether this was a glitch, a miracle, or the key to turning the game world upside down.
Ryan didn't know whether it was even possible to travel to a zone from an unreleased expansion—but if it was, the possibilities were staggering. The sheer potential had him practically vibrating with anticipation.
How long is ten seconds?
A yawn, a stretch, a sip of tea. In most moments, it would slip by unnoticed. But now, as Ryan stared at the casting bar crawling across his screen, those ten seconds felt like a lifetime.
Then—flash.
A burst of light.
Ryan vanished from Stormhold Fortress.
"Yes!"
His triumphant shout echoed through both the virtual world and the real one. It was so loud that his sister Mia, who was seated nearby, heard it clearly. She looked up briefly but didn't say a word, continuing with her own quests in silence.
From the next room, Molly peeked around the corner. A smile touched her lips as she spotted her brother's joy. Without a word, she slipped back into the living room, quietly fiddling with a small virtual headset.
The scene before Ryan's eyes was beyond anything he'd expected.
It was kaleidoscopic—vibrant lights rising from the city in pillars of color, scattering into the sky like fireworks. The air shimmered with energy. Majestic Astral Guards floated silently through the low sky, keeping watch. And the people—races he had never seen in Stormhold Fortress—walked the streets like it was the most natural thing in the world.
He looked up.
Crimson meteors streaked across a deep violet sky.
This wasn't the original continent anymore. He was no longer on his home world. He had arrived on Andepul, the Shattered World.
Behind him, five tall, glowing portals stood silently. Each led back to the major cities of the five released Alliance races. The other two—still unreleased—had no portals yet. For players of those future races, the game hadn't even begun.
He stepped forward, taking in the grandeur of Astral City.
Every NPC he passed bore the white skull insignia next to their names—a warning that they were far above his level. It didn't faze him. Even in Stormhold Fortress, most NPCs had the same symbol. It was just the game's way of saying, "Don't pick a fight."
Guided by memory, Ryan made his way toward the residential district. He passed by still fountains and silent vendor stalls, eventually finding the inn affiliated with the Alliance—the Verdant Lyre.
He stepped inside.
The innkeeper looked up as he approached, and Ryan immediately spoke with her, setting his Hearthstone to the location.
A soft chime.
—
System Notification: Your Hearthstone is now bound to the Verdant Lyre (Astral City).
—
Ryan let out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding. The tension that had been coiled tightly inside him finally eased.
He had done it.
A thrill surged through him—like standing at the edge of a cliff and realizing you could fly.
Astral City was completely deserted. Not of NPCs, but of players. A city this massive, this important, was completely untouched. Unlooted. Undiscovered. To Ryan, it was a goldmine hidden in plain sight.
He took off sprinting through the streets.
Past towers and gardens, through alleys of polished stone, until he reached the industrial district.
Here, in the heart of the city, nearly every profession trainer could be found. They weren't just basic trainers—they were the best. Each one capable of teaching skills up to proficiency level 375.
This was exactly why Ryan had come.
He turned down a side street and stopped in front of a brilliantly lit doorway. A glowing sign swung gently overhead:
Sinna's Jewels.
Ryan looked up at it for a moment, then inhaled deeply.
This was it.
He stepped inside.
The shop was elegant and bright, filled with glinting gems and ornate displays. In the center sat the master artisan herself—Sinna, draped in silks and surrounded by arcane tools. Ryan approached her and initiated a conversation.
Then came the prompt.
—
Do you want to learn Jewelcrafting as your profession?
—
Without hesitation, he accepted.
If there was one profession that had consistently topped the economy charts in his previous life, it was Jewelcrafting. Nothing else even came close.
A new quest popped up the moment he confirmed his choice.
Ryan burst out laughing. It was a sound of pure, wild joy. He turned on his heel and left the shop with a spring in his step, ready to hunt down the quest items hidden throughout Astral City.